His design was intentionally made to be attractive, with artist Jen Zee wanting to stay true to classical tradition, such as the ideas of heroic nudity in Ancient Greece culture.

He is voiced by Darren Korb, who took inspiration from actor Asa Butterfield and character Loki from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

He considered Zagreus in Hades to be a power fantasy, stating: "He’s a God, he’s faster, he’s stronger, he’s better looking than most of us, he knows how to say all the right things at all the right times.

Korb's performance was described by Waypoint writer Elizabeth Ballou as a "crisp, understated British accent, but hints of both sarcasm and warmth keep the protagonist relatable."

When crafting his voice, Korb used multiple inspirations, such as actor Asa Butterfield, but he took primarily from the character Loki from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In it, his goal is to escape the Underworld, which is ruled by his father, Hades, with the aspiration of meeting his demigoddess mother, Persephone, on the surface.

RPGFan writer Alana Hagues praised him, calling him a "lovable idiot with a heart of gold" and saying it only took 10 minutes for her to come to love his sassy personality and sweet nature.

[10] Kotaku writer Ash Parrish found Zagreus attractive; she discussed his appearance in the initial trailer, particularly his "breathless sigh, multicolored eyes, [and] hair flip which is nothing more than an excuse to show off his dummy thicc pectorals."

With Zagreus, he found him to be a "sensitive and considerate lover," believing that the quality of this depiction influenced Hades's popularity with the LGBTQ+ community.

[12] Wired writer Autumn Wright felt that Zagreus being so minor in Greek mythology made him a "great canvas" for a player-character.

They described him as "charming, emotionally mature, polychromatic, young, and muscular" while discussing how he fits the concept of the ephebe, which they felt was an unattainable ideal for most men.

They also discussed how Zagreus contrasted with Thanatos and Megaera, who they describe as twinkish and androgynous respectively, commenting that each represents a "subvers[ion] to classical tradition.